Fair 'nuff. ;-) If you'll allow me to use that as a point of departure, my personal POV is that just about anything I can lay my hands on may become a survival item, up to and including the lint in the corner of my pocket (fire tender). I have had the unfortunate necessity to hit an assailant with, ahem, several found objects that happened to be within reach at the time, but the less said about that, the better. Socks can be used to carry and protect the unlubricated condom found in some mini survival kits, once filled with water (the intended use of the condom). I once patched a slit bicycle tire sidewall with a dollar bill.

There is an ugly racist term for such improvisation, that a black friend of mine wittily re-styled into "Afro-engineering," since he is an absolute genius at problem solving. Anyone care to share their favorite examples of "Field Expedient" improvisation?

Jeff

Oh, I forgot to add that socks also make cool puppets! (great pic, sockpuppet)

Jeff

Um, Thanks, but I think I'll pass on that one. ;-)

Jeff

I don't know, I will have to ask her. But trust me, she is no charlatan...

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned is a glue stick - the kind that goes into a glue gun. I have one in my kit. Weighs practically nothing. A single stick wil go a long way. Just heat up one end and use what you need. Sort of a modern pitch stick if you like.

Then add water and fireravens and the alchemical circle shall be complete.

MWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

I haven't read through this tread entirely but I'll add a couple of things.

Ditch the rubber bands. As others have mentioned they're way too short-lived. Get some old innertubes from bikes, cut those up and there you have it, "Ranger Bands." They don't suffer from the heat and exposure problems plus they burn really good so you've got a great tinder.

Big safety pins are great. They can be used for all sorts of things, including if needed closing a gaping wound or keeping the tongue out of an unconcious patients throat. (Yes, they'll hate you for it later but at least they'll have a later)

That's all I can think of but I'll look through my stuff for some more. Great thread.

Charlie

As far as the "Afro-engineering", my dad calls it "Jack Leg Inc." whenver he expedites a repair. He used a golf tee and duct tape to get my truck running one time, and was known to pick up just about anything that washed ashore when he was out on his boat, just in case.

One piece of gear that the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy says is absolutely indispensable, is a towell. Because of the series of books by Douglas Adams I always have a towell in my kit.